Elonex eReader in Ebook Readers

After years of eBook readers being touted as the next big thing, it suddenly feels like we're caught in a gold rush. Even companies with the most vague technological leanings are spitting out devices, keen to claim a stake in what could prove to be a very lucrative market. Few can be better placed than Elonex, however, which has just inked a deal with Borders to start selling its eBook reader in stores.

It's disappointing then to discover that the Elonex eBook reader is so startlingly average. Last month, we reviewed the Cool-er, which tries to sex-up reading with vivid colours and slogans. We're not fans of the approach, but if the Elonex is the alternative, we'll happily submit to the Cool-er's neon assault.

The Elonex is the Gordon Brown of eBook readers - a peculiarly joyless affair wrapped in black and grey that immediately brings to mind blackboards and stern head teachers. It's the sort of eBook reader you'd take to a funeral and recite the eulogy from. Its matte-black finish is also alarmingly good at picking up fingerprints and scuffs, which means that after just a few days use it will have that grubby, glossy shine more commonly associated with a tramp's coat.

On the bright side it does feel sturdier than the majority of its rivals. We've become accustomed to thinking of eBook readers as flimsy things best kept from the rigours of our bag, but this Elonex sticks out its chin and dares you to take a swing. Although it weighs a mere 180g, the rubberised case feels durable, giving you the confidence to let it rattle around with the car keys. This is certainly a point worth considering if your eBook reader is destined for a life on the go, rather than contemplative days in the study.

You can't judge an eBook reader by its cover, though. The reading experience is everything, and the 6in E Ink screen does a fine job of recreating the look of words on paper, while a selection of three font styles and eight font sizes means all eyes are catered for. EBooks can also be flipped into landscape, offering the option of longer sentences and shorter pages if that's your preference.

Unfortunately, the Elonex lets itself down by being slower than a Test match. It takes a few seconds to change page when reading TXT documents, and four or five when dealing with PDFs, and it gets to the point where you're pressing the page-turn button halfway through your current page. It's a frustrating and distracting experience that you can learn to live with, but no longer need to. The Cool-er will change pages in around a second. It also trumps the Elonex in the storage stakes, offering double its 512MB memory, although both can be upgraded with a further 4GB through the SD slot.

Elonex claims the lithium-ion battery is good for around 8,000 page turns, and while we haven't had a chance to test this claim we have used it extensively for several hours without needing to recharge. Books can be dragged and dropped onto the device using the supplied USB cable, or through Adobe's Digital Editions software, which you'll need to unlock ePub books bought on the Borders website.

The other thing worth noting is that the 100 free eBooks supplied with the device are public domain works and often suffer from appalling formatting, ranging from wildly different font sizes to random line breaks. We'd recommend not trusting them for your summer reading.

All told then, the Elonex eBook reader is impossible to recommend. It isn't a bad device, but for only £9 more the Cool-er offers faster page turns, greater storage and exactly the same reading experience, font options and format support.

Author: Stuart Turton